COVID vaccines, introduced at the end of December 2020, were widely touted as an important tool used by governments to help control the global pandemic. As a result, these “safe and effective” vaccines have been injected into the arms of millions worldwide.
While most people were extremely thankful for the opportunity to protect themselves, and their loved ones, with the new mRNA products, many have experienced adverse reactions.
It is important to remember that medical interventions deemed to be “safe and effective” are not necessarily “safe” for everyone. This is why it has become so important for countries to set up reporting systems. These systems are designed to throw up safety signals to the relevant authorities when the rollout of medical interventions start to cause unanticipated harm.
For the person who experiences an adverse event, they can feel alone and wonder if what happened to them is just an anomaly or if others have experienced something similar. They may decide to go on a fact-finding mission to get to the bottom of what happened to them, and this is exactly what filmmaker Jennifer Sharp did.
After suffering an adverse reaction to the COVID vaccine, Jennifer felt alienated and cast aside by friends and family.
However, she soon found that there were many others just like her, and she was not alone. At that moment, she decided that it was her responsibility as an artist to tell the stories that no one else was telling. So she picked up her camera and created Anecdotals.
“I’ve always felt that art has the power to change the world and that artists have the responsibility to facilitate that change by sharing their truths,” said the filmmaker.
Anecdotals provides a glimpse into the lives of the injured and how their day-to-day existence has drastically changed. It is a compassionate exploration of the nuanced vaccine debate, focusing on
questions, rather than answers, and people, rather than politics.
As of March 10, 2023, there have been over 1,533,181 Covid vaccine adverse events reported to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).
Individual safety problems often emerge when a drug, or in this case, COVID vaccines, are taken by millions of people. As new adverse event data emerges, society must acknowledge these safety signals, ask questions, and respond accordingly.
Individual experiences are often dismissed as anecdotes because they are based on personal accounts
rather than scientific facts or research. However, anecdotes are data points and should be part of the overall conversation or debate around any medical intervention. Afterall, “anecdotes” are someone’s
loved one: spouse, partner, child, parent, sibling, friend, or neighbor.
Jennifer Sharp invested her life savings to produce Anecdotals, and she hopes that the film will inspire conversations among families, friends, work colleagues, and communities all over the world. She also hopes to encourage those who have had similar experiences to share their stories and open the hearts and
minds of those who have yet to hear from people potentially injured by vaccines.
Anecdotals will premiere in Bermuda at 7pm on Monday, April 10th in Speciality Cinema. If you are interested in attending the premiere, followed by a discussion with the filmmaker, medical professionals, and members of the cast, tickets can be purchased at jointhecast.org or specialitycinema.bm
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